Why is your friends group shrinking? It's your age

AT 29 you may be wondering where it all went wrong - you're surveying the bankruptcy of your love life, seriously considering a payday loan to afford a birthday party in Dalston and are constantly lying to yourself that university debt was worth it. The upside, however, is that you're the most popular you're ever going to get.

Apparently in the last year of our Twenties we have 80 friends, as a result of still being in contact with school friends while also having solidified some work-based ones, too.

A survey of 1,505 Britons found that the average person has 64 friends and that they're most likely to meet them at work rather than at college or university.

Social activities and clubs came third on the list of spots to pick up friends, while social media came a respectable fourth.

The research, conducted by food firm Genius Gluten Free, also found that we have more in common with colleagues than we do from old school mates.

The reason for this is because we apparently share the strains of working in high-pressured environments and spend more hours in the office than ever before.

The data also found that those working in marketing have the most friends at work, just ahead of chefs, servicemen and women, artists and designers, and finally those in HR.

"We wanted to understand how friendships are born in the office and interestingly it appears that the long hours and high pressured situations we often find ourselves in at work with colleagues actually help us form strong friendships, said Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, founder of Genius Gluten Free.

"So make sure you take the time to get to know your team, whether it's at lunch or over a drink after work it's one of the best ways to find support and learn something new."